Silhouette of the Moon
by Arcanelle
Summary: [SesshoumaruKagura][one-shot] Death would mean freedom, and that was what she had wanted, right? What was keeping her from taking her life that very instant? Would the dark eyes of her sister and the crescent moon remind her of a reason to live?


**Silhouette of the Moon**

_**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't won Inuyasha - a woman named Rumiko Takahashi invented him. I do, though, own the plotline of this fanfic. Heh heh..._

This is a small angst piece I put together. You know, I just adore Kagura. I know a lot of people don't like her, but she's so cool. Volatile, independent - what's not to like? She's often shed in a bad light, but really I consider her to fall into the same category as Sesshoumaru: not really a true villain, yet far from being a hero. She's just misunderstood. Besides, she has to have Naraku as a "father". You _have_ to feel empathy for the poor woman.

Anyways, this is a one-shot, so anyone who asks be to update will be laughed at and considered to be an idiot.

..v..

She sat atop the roof of the castle she had reluctantly come to call her home, turning her scarlet eyes up to gaze at the moon. Only a sliver was visible, which led her to assume the following day would be the night of the new moon... the night both Inuyasha and Naraku were turned mortal.

She didn't like Inuyasha. She found him annoying, pathetic, incompetent, dim-witted, and rude, and she could care less about his well being.

She didn't like Kouga. She was on the border of hating him. His faults were twice that of Inuyasha, and when you add his speed and determination, he was an enormous nuisance to her, and she would be fairly pleased in watching his demise.

She didn't like Kikyou, Kagome, Sango, or Miroku. They were always wasting her time, always annoying her, always getting in her way. She would be utterly relieved at their deaths.

It was Naraku, though, that she loathed more than any other, though, and she could never beat him alone... not with him holding her heart in his hands. She needed them to do the work for her, and for that she would even allow them to live. After all, she had better things to do than waste her time on a load of mortals, a foul mouthed half-demon and a shabby wolf. They would fight for her, and in return she would let them live. She would never see them again, and she and Kanna could live in peace.

Kanna was her sister. Kanna was the one person she could trust. Kanna was the only true family she had ever known. She would always protect Kanna; she would never walk away from Kanna if she was ever in a bind... because Kanna was the one person who really and truly cared for her.

Then, of course, there was Sesshoumaru. He was a beautiful man with long beautiful hair and a beautiful scowl. True, the last time she had seen him she had shouted at him, called him a coward. What else could she have done, after all? He had turned her down, and she couldn't just walk away with tears in her eyes - it simply wasn't her to do such a thing.

She longed for him, and she despised herself for it. It made her feel like some pubescent village girl with a crush on an older nobleman. Yet, despite the fact that she would give her soul to be freed from this lust for him, it just felt so right. This emotion she'd heard referred to so many times afore as "love" made her feel giddy and lighthearted, and though she would never admit it, she adored it.

The moon shown above her head, and was forever a keepsake of him. What else would it make her think of, after all? The crescent moon on his forehead was a trademark of him, and it was something she would never forget.

She snapped her fan closed instantly, rising to her feet. The night was quiet, serene - a faultless night, in her opinion. She ambled around the edge of the top of the palace, drifting into deep contemplation.

The chances of Naraku's grasp on her ever being broken were slim to none, but she would rather expire than continue serving that monster. She stopped at the end of the structure, peering over the edge. She could visualize herself casually falling off it and plunging to her death... to her freedom.

She stepped closer.

All she had to do was suffer a few moments of pain, a lot of bleeding, and a period of hallucination... then she would be set free from this world and could pass on. Pass on to what, though? What if Inuyasha _could _beat Naraku? What if Sesshoumaru _did _decide to pursue him? What about Kanna? What is something happened to the one person she had ever truly cared for?

She swallowed hard, backing away.

What was she to do? It was more or less a sadistic choice... but she couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she was trying to take the easy way out. Would committing suicide be weak on her part? After all, it seemed so easy. She would have to suffer, yes, but it was too simple to be as truly brave as some made it out to be.

"I suppose it often takes more courage to live than it does to die," she told herself, sighing and dropping onto the ground, landing on her feet. If she had chosen to she could have fallen backwards onto her cranium, splitting her skull and fracturing her spine. Even for a demon such as herself, an injury like that could be fatal.

She chose life. She chose Kanna. She chose to be courageous and watch until the last battle gad been fought, and if she were to die she assured herself it would be in a fight against Naraku. She wouldn't die... not until she had witnessed the downfall of the beast who had birthed her would she allow herself to be slain. She had to live... because she had to see his face again.

She commenced walking away... walking out of the caste.

"Kagura," a soft voice came from behind her, "where are you going?" She turned to the young girl - her elder sister, in truth, as unlikely as it was - and smiled a deep, warm, compassionate smile. Kanna was moderately startled, since she had never considered her sister to be a kindhearted one, but returned the gesture just the same.

"I'll be back, Kanna," she told her, plucking a feather from her tresses, "don't worry. I just... wish to see him again." Kanna nodded knowingly. She may not have understood exactly why, but she understood that her sister had some sort of feelings for Inuyasha's elder brother, and that her sister desired to see him.

"I will not tell Naraku, Kagura," she told her sister, looking upward at her with large shadowy orbs, "just do not be gone for too long, please?"

Kagura smirked, and without answering her sibling, she tossed the feather into the air and soared away into the night.

"Please be careful, Kagura," the young girl whispered before turning back into the palace.

..v..

She perched herself at the peak of a tree, watching the silver-haired man from a fair distance. She didn't plan to speak to him - what would she say anyway? 'Hi, remember me - that crazy woman who called you a coward because you wouldn't fight Naraku for her? I'm in love with you'? Not likely. If he spoke to her, it would depend on what he said before she could determine whether or not she would respond.

She had to admit, he was probably the last person - other than Naraku, anyway - that she would ever expect to be taking care of a defenseless young human girl. It only proved to her that he wasn't nearly as bitter as he was often described as. She was an adorable young girl, and it wasn't too hard to see how she could sway his heart... at least so long as there was a speck of decency in him. She could understand that - no matter who you are - if you have a grain of morality, there is one person whom you care for deeply. She cared for Kanna, Inuyasha cared for Kagome and his Kikyou, Miroku had Sango, Sango had her brother Kohaku, Kouga - she supposed - had what was left of his wolf clan, and it seemed logical that Sesshoumaru, too, must have someone. That someone was the human girl... Rin, he called her.

"Kagura," he announced, turning to her, "you've been stalking me for quite some time now, haven't you. Do you have a message to me from Naraku or are you here to attempt to negotiate once more?"

"No such thing, Lord Sesshoumaru," she assured him, almost mockingly, "I just wanted to get away from Naraku for a while, that's all." With that, he turned away.

"I'm sure it takes a lot of patience working for that demon," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Half-demon," Kagura corrected, "he's nothing more than a glorified mortal who absorbed demons into his flesh."

"Disgusting," Sesshoumaru acknowledged, "that he would do such a thing. True strength doesn't come from a rock with power from the souls of a priestess and demons contained inside of it or from absorbing more powerful creatures - true strength comes from within oneself. That is why I do not use such methods... I do not need them."

"I only wish I had the power to destroy Naraku," she sighed, "but that beast won't die no matter what. Besides, he could kill me without hesitation and never feel any remorse."

"I trust you can defeat him in time," Sesshoumaru told her. "You only have to sever the bond between him and yourself. You must endure, though, and never become sidetracked. You must never give up, either... that would be the worst mistake anyone could ever make. You must never settle, and you must keep focused on your goal." The corners of her mouth angle into a slight smile as she grabbed a feather from her raven locks.

"I'll keep in mind what you've said, Sesshoumaru," she promised him, flying off into the night. He nodded, turning back to the young girl leaning against him. She dozed calmly, grinning contently.

"She sure is a strange one, isn't she, m'lord?" the toad demon questioned, watching as Kagura glided away. He didn't answer, only watched after her. To say the least, she was an astonishing woman, and she was not one to be taken lightly. Somewhere deep inside his subconscious mind, he may have even hoped for her success in her mission to kill the miserable half-demon Naraku.

..v..

So, there it was. My 3.5 page one-shot starring everyone favorite wind sorceress, Kagura. I hope you liked it. True, it wasn't my typical style of writing - nor my typical characters, as most of you probably know my as a writer of Miroku/Sango stories - but I felt I should try something new. Since I've grown to admire Kagura - though at first I didn't really care for her a great deal, in truth - I decided to write her a bit of homage. You know what? They won't let me use me equal sign in between scenes now. What are they gonna take away next - the semicollon?


End file.
